Link Gun

The Link Gun is a quirky kind of gun, as it is the only thing in the game that can be used to heal vehicles. The Nightshade does not count, as the primary fire is the same as the healing alt. fire of the Link Gun. The Link Gun is best used at close to medium range, where its rapid fire and high damage can be utilized. &nbsp

Utilizing the Link Gun
The Link Gun is a powerful and versatile gun, that can be used effectively by players of nearly every skill. The primary fire launches rapid fire, high damage projectiles. This can be used to quickly neutralize enemies advancing on you, or to spread fire to strafe at farther enemies. This is also useful to kill large enemy vehicles, and is also useful as a pychological warfare weapon against human players. When hit by this continuous stream of fire, the victims screen will seem to pulse continuously red, and their controller will vibrate as well. Most often, they will panick and either frantically try to find you, or try to run away. This strategy is best employed at far ranges, where the low maneuverability of large vehicles will play against their heavy firepower. Darkwalkers and Goliath Tanks are the most strongly affected targets, and they are usually the biggest targets anyways. Against smaller faster vehicles, the medium speed of the projectiles will be dodged, and the driver wil easily kill you by strafing or running you down. The secondary fire is powerful against even armored infantry, and it litteraly burns the flesh from their skelotons. As an added bonus, players hit by this beam will be counted as jumping, so they will not be able to easily dodge the beam once hit. This beam also can heal friendly vehicles, and it is thus a good idea to tell someone to cover you while you advance into enemy territory. Nodes can be healed by the Link Gun as well, or can be used to speed up the formation process. The Link Gun cannot heal Power Cores, nor can it heal players. If two players wielding Link Guns are close enough together, they will both recieve a damage increase for their guns, which apllies to both primary and secondary fire. You will know you have linked with a partener when you see see thin gold electricity connecting to a CPU or other player. Two players around a node with Link Guns will have little problem keeping the node healthy, as long as they do not encounter very heavy enemy resistance, and so it is a good idea to keep a Rocket Launcher on hand.

Cons
Just like any other gun, the Link Gun is far from being the invincible weapon. At close range, it is easily dominated by the Flak Cannon, and at farther ranges it is beaten by the insta hit Stinger Minigun primary fire, and the Sniper Rifle headshot. Medium range is where the gun can dominate the battlefield, and thus this is where it should be kept. The Stinger will be the main enemy of Link users, as its high speed fire and insta hit abilities can turn you into swiss cheese before you can lock onto them. The Rocket Launcher should also be avoided, as its lock on capability will prevent you from succesfully being able to concentrate on the actual enemy. Incoming Rockets should take presedence against the user, at least if they seem to be coming non stop. The Shock Rifle will push you away from your target, and if you're not careful, off the map. The Link Gun also suffers from ammo consumption, as balancing the task of healing Nodes, vehicles, and killing enemies can quickly exhaust your ammunition. Remember to lead your shots when fring from afar; the plasma the weapon fires is far from being hitscan.